Upgrade the Provost Walk

Help us raise £5,000 in match funding to secure a £50k grant towards improvement works along the Provost Walk in Auchterarder!

Funding

We estimate that Provost Walk phase 3 path improvement works will amount to over £530,000....which is why we need your help!

By raising £5,000 towards match funding, we will be able to apply for £50,000 more towards the overall cost of the project.

Map of planned Provost Walk phase 3 path upgrades

Provost Walk - the story so far

To date and working in collaboration with Auchterarder Community Sports & Recreation, PKCT has project managed over £480,000 of path improvement works to the Provost Walk across phases 1 and 2, upgrading 1,250 metres of muddy and uneven track to a modern, multi-user path suitable for walkers, cyclists and wheelchair users from Ruthven Street to Coalbore Well and up to Jubilee Park.

Walkers enjoying the upgraded Provost Walk phase 1 section of path.

In addition to path works, solar stub lights have been installed along the new path so the local community can continue to use it safely after dark, and benches have been placed every few hundred metres so visitors can take a break and enjoy the wonderful outdoors of the area.

Planned Phase 3 improvement works

The section of path we're looking to improve in Phase 3 is currently poorly drained, narrow, uneven and sandwiched between a thorny hedge and a livestock field for the majority of its length. It is very muddy in the winter, and a thorny hedge grows over it in the summer. This means that the path is only useable by people who are sure-footed and able to wade through mud or constantly duck under overhanging bushes. At the western end of the path, an old set of steps leads to a narrow gate that gives access to the pavement along the A824, meaning that only walkers who are suitably agile can access the path this way.

Steps and gate at western end of Provost Walk Phase 3

As the path is in such poor condition, boots, wheels and hooves tend to churn it up even more, making the problem worse. People trying to use the route are also forced to use the verges and land adjacent to the path to avoid the worst patches, which is leading to soil erosion and damage to the undergrowth next to the path.

Provost Walk phase 3 section of churned up path before upgrade

By upgrading the remaining muddy section of path and replacing the old steps and narrow gate with a more gradual slope, this project will enable people who living on the west side of Auchterarder and in Blackford to share in the social benefits of being able to access the town safely and enjoyably on foot, wheels or horseback, while also protecting the environment around the path from further damage and erosion.